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Nuclear Power in the EU

Selected e-articles

Abstract: This study employs Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares, Common Correlated Effects and Dumitrescu-Hurlin panel causality techniques to investigate the environmental impacts of nuclear energy generation in European Union countries from 1990 to 2022. The ongoing debate within the European Union and the empirical contradictions in the literature, coupled with the overall singular-dimensionality surrounding the impacts of nuclear energy on the environment, necessitate a broader and comprehensive examination of its effects across various environmental dimensions. These dimensions include the presence of CO2 emissions and the ecological footprint generated. The findings reveal that nuclear energy adoption by countries tends to affect CO2 emissions but this relationship goes from CO2 to nuclear energy consumption as per the causality test, while the ecological footprint variable does not exhibit a causal relationship with nuclear energy consumption. We estimated that a higher presence of air pollutants promotes the generation of nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuel energy sources. The study highlights that while nuclear energy generation produces no air pollution, it does impose significant land use requirements, potentially leading to ecosystem degradation. Factors such as uranium extraction, nuclear waste management, disposal, and accidents contribute to this impact. Further research is needed to understand the specific mechanisms and factors contributing to the observed environmental degradation associated with nuclear energy generation. [Display omitted] It is performed a comparative analysis of nuclear energy generation impacts on environment. European Union members were examined between the period 1990 and 2022. Fully Modified OLS, Common Correlated Effects and Dumitrescu-Hurling Panel causality estimation were performed.A negative impact of nuclear energy generation is estimated on ecological footprint, while CO2 emissions decrease. A higher presence of air pollutants promotes the generation of nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuel energy.

Abstract: To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, as outlined in the European Green Deal, nuclear power is expected to double between 2020 and 2050, mainly due to its low-carbon baseload capacity. Small modular reactors, new nuclear reactors designed to generate up to 300 MW of electricity, could help achieve this goal. Small modular reactors have unique advantages over existing large reactors, such as modularization, learning and co-location economics. However, these small modular reactors should also be economically viable. This review therefore focuses on the costs of small modular reactors. This review found an average capital cost of €7.031/kW and an average levelized cost of electricity of 85 €/MWh for small modular reactors, while capital costs were found to be on average 41 % higher than for the large reactors. Carbon and gas prices are not included in this cost estimate, yet these volatile prices also affect small modular reactor costs. However, as the absolute cost is lower, the financial risk is lower for small modular reactors. The importance of regulations, discount rates, country and project specifications and public acceptance are also considered. [Display omitted] Systematic literature review on economic assessments for small modular reactors. Average capital cost per kW for SMRs is 7031 €/kW. Average capital cost per kW is 41 % higher for SMRs compared with large reactors.Average levelized cost of electricity of SMRs estimated to be 85 €/MWh.High capital costs, uncertainty and low EU carbon prices limit SMR deployment.

Abstract:  [Display omitted] Explores the impact of changes in energy sources on the economy and environment. Focuses on highly natural gas-dependent European Union countries.Applies novel quantile-based time series approaches (QQ, GQ, and QR). Impact of gas alternatives varies by country, energy sources, and quantiles. There is a trade-off for Finland and Germany in terms of the best gas alternative. This study evaluates the potential impacts of natural gas (NGC), renewable energy (RCC), and nuclear energy consumption (NCC) from an economic and environmental perspective for four European Union countries (Czechia, Finland, Hungary, and Germany), which have a reliance on Russia as well as use renewable and nuclear energy. In this context, quantile-based approaches are used; NGC, RCC, and NCC are considered as explanatory variables; and data between 1993/Q1 and 2021/Q4 is used. The findings show that (i) NGC has generally an accelerating impact on the economy and environment in all countries; (ii) RCC has a stimulating impact on the economy in Finland at all quantiles and in Czechia at higher quantiles. Also, it has a curbing impact on CO2 emissions in Czechia at all quantiles and in Hungary and Germany at the higher quantiles; (iii) NCC has an increasing impact on the economy in Hungary and Germany at higher quantiles. Besides, it has a limiting impact on CO2 emissions in Hungary at all quantiles, in Finland at higher quantiles, and in Czechia at middle quantiles; (iv) NGC, RCC, and NCC have a causal impact on both GDP and CO2 emissions. The outcomes imply that the impact of the alternatives on GDP and CO2 emissions varies by country, alternatives, and quantiles. RCC is the most suitable option for Czechia, NCC is the most suitable option for Hungary, and there is a trade-off for Finland and Germany.

Abstract: Our research seeks to assess the influence of nuclear energy technology on carbon emissions in the top 10 European economies comprising the topmost nuclear energy R&D budget (France, Germany, Russia, the Netherlands, the UK, Finland, Spain, Sweden, Italy, and Switzerland). Unlike prior investigations predominantly relying on panel data methodologies without considering the distinctive characteristics of each economy, our study employs the advanced 'Quantile-on-Quantile' approach. This novel methodology enables us to investigate the interactions between variables within each unique nation, thereby improving the precision of our analysis. As a result, the study provides a thorough global perspective, revealing nuanced findings pertinent to each economy's specific attributes. Our outcomes demonSstrate a positive interconnection between nuclear energy technology and carbon emissions across various quantiles in our analyzed nations. Additionally, the study highlights diverse patterns in these associations within individual economies. These findings emphasize the significance of policymakers performing comprehensive measurements and devising effective strategies to monitor fluctuations in nuclear energy technology and carbon emissions.

Abstract: Poland is actively exploring the application of nuclear power as a substitute for its present reliance on fossil fuels for the generation of heat and electricity. This change reflects a calculated attempt to reduce carbon emissions, diversify the nation’s energy sources, and enhance the sustainability of its energy infrastructure. However, the implementation of nuclear technology faces many challenges, such as radiation exposure, the production of radioactive waste, the off-site effects of nuclear accidents, and high capital costs. Addressing such nuclear-safety-related issues is crucial for nuclear technology’s successful deployment. An extended analysis of the “coal-to-nuclear” process in terms of its safety has to be performed. Therefore, this review paper covers multidisciplinary studies related to the rollout of nuclear energy in Poland. The first stage of this study was the identification of the key areas of analysis, which included (i) formal requirements and recommendations imposed by international and national organizations on the process of designing and operating nuclear power systems; (ii) potential nuclear hazards for the personnel working at a nuclear reactor unit and the local population; (iii) the applied solutions of the security systems of a reactor itself, the steam turbine cycle, and the auxiliary infrastructure; and (iv) the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. This methodology, developed based on a review of the literature and international standards, was tested for the selected country—Poland.

Abstract: The role of nuclear energy in electricity production mix in Bulgaria is discussed.•The current status and future of the nuclear industry in Bulgaria are presented. Prospects and challenges for SMRs deployment in Bulgaria are considered. This paper presents a study of nuclear energy development in Bulgaria and its contribution to the country's energy sector. Current status and future prospects of the nuclear power industry have been discussed. Currently, two 1000 MW nuclear power units – Units 5 and 6 with WWER-1000 reactors are in operation at Kozloduy NPP site. Nuclear energy is one of the main pillars of the electricity producing sector with 32, 6 % of current national energy mix. Energy strategy and vision for the development of the power sector in Bulgaria envisage nuclear energy to be supported institutionally as a promising resource for generation of emission-free electricity and to ensure a sustainable energy mix. Extending the operational lifetime of the available capacities, as well as, the construction of new nuclear capacities have been considered to be of strategic importance for preserving energy security, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing dependence on imports of energy resources in a cost-effective and competitive manner. In addition, this investigation is focused on the efforts that have been invested toward current nuclear reactors lifetime extension, thermal power uprate and diversification of fresh nuclear fuel supplies, as well as, construction of new nuclear capacities to ensure the future development of the nuclear industry in Bulgaria. Some key drivers and challenges in nuclear power sector for future development were analysed. Large size nuclear reactors and SMRs in Bulgarian context were considered and the outcomes indicatesthat SMRs and large reactors generation III/III+ should not be opposed but SMRs could be considered as a complementarity technology to the existing large-scale reactors. Many of the currently developed SMRs conceptual designs meet the expectations for Generation IV reactors safety level but in-depth knowledge of the specific technology is required to assess and ensure safety in accordance with the Bulgarian regulatory framework which is oriented towards light water reactors.

Abstract: Electricity supply in European countries faces a number of challenges, such as achieving carbon neutrality, tackling rising prices, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, including fossil fuel imports. To achieve these goals, the electricity systems of all European countries will have to undergo major changes, while taking into account technical, environmental, economic and social objectives. Our simulations provide essential data for this transition by analyzing different power plant portfolios and electricity consumption scenarios. The analyses focus on the cooperation of nuclear power and weather-dependent renewables, and on the possible role that battery-based electricity storage can play in the Hungarian electricity system. In this paper, we present the experience gained in setting up an electricity market model and the results of running the model on the electricity systems of Hungary and its six neighboring countries (Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria), taking into account the constraints of the cross-border capacities. The results of the sensitivity analysis for the 2030 power plant portfolios, battery capacities and renewables analyzed in this paper cover Hungary's import/export position, the energy source structure of its electricity generation, battery operation, CO2 emissions from electricity generation, expected prices in the system and the utilization parameters of nuclear power plants. •New Hungarian nuclear units decrease the CO2 emissions of electricity generation and don't limit market conditions of renewables.•Batteries lack profit on price-arbitrage basis, thus their capabilities must be sold on the reserve market for sufficient returns.•Nuclear power plants must be prepared for flexible operation to provide with balancing services.•Despite more nuclear and solar capacities, Hungary remains a net electricity importer by 2030.•Hourly resolution simulations and sensitivity analysis of renewables are advantages for detailed analysis of NECPs.

Abstract: Wireless sensor network for the monitoring of radioactive waste drum integrity.Passive gamma and neutron counting for long-term radioactive waste assessment.Flexible technology, adaptable framework for comprehensive waste package evaluation.IoT and WSN based monitoring for waste drums using LoRa technology. A reliable monitoring and oversight system is essential to guarantee the safe operation and eventual closure of radioactive waste disposal facilities. With recent technological advancements, there is now the capability to deploy distributed wireless sensor networks that are cost-effective and low in power consumption. Such networks are versatile, finding applications in several civil, environmental, and industrial sectors. This work presents a novel system and method for identifying and continuously monitoring the integrity of stored radioactive waste packages. The proposed approach, developed by the University of Pisa in the context of the H2020 European Project PREDIS, employs a network of wireless node devices, provided with solid-state micro-power radiation detectors tasked with the measurement of gamma-rays and thermal neutrons coming from within cemented waste drums. Collected data are automatically transmitted across the storage site via Long Range radio technology and forwarded to cloud-based or offline platforms, allowing for further visualization, data processing, and safe storage. The system highlights the feasibility of autonomously and passively gathering data from radioactive waste drums over extended distances (more than 250 m in non-line-of-sight conditions), decreasing the reliance on portable or automated scanning mechanisms. In line with its capability for autonomous, long-range data collection, the system satisfies the requirement for structural integrity, containment, and confinement of packaging throughout both interim and long-term disposal of radioactive wastes, thereby playing a key role in reinforcing the safe management of radioactive waste.

Abstract:  The proliferation of concepts to qualify relations between nuclear energy and space demonstrate the difficulties encountered in characterizing them. In this paper, building on Hecht’s work on “nuclearity,” we postulate that understanding the geographies of nuclear energy calls for a deconstruction of “spatial nuclearities” rather than “nuclear spaces.” Here we hypothesize that the production of nuclearities’ limits through controversies determines the borders of spaces considered as nuclear. To test it, this article will look into debates triggered by the clearance of very low-level radioactive waste in Germany. Clearance is the administrative act of denuclearizing radioactive materials, allowing them to be recycled, reused, or disposed of in the conventional sector. Research was conducted through the analysis of local newspapers, parliamentary debates, and semistructured interviews. Results show three dynamics. Firstly, spatial nuclearity is relational, produced through interaction between the involved actors. Secondly, nuclear power spatialities are processual, emerging from everyday operations. Thirdly, spatial nuclearity is multidimensional, depending on sociospatial and local contingencies.

Abstract: Researchers will study the 17-year process of dismantling the Joint European Torus (JET) near Oxford, UK, in unprecedented detail - and use the knowledge to make sure future fusion power plants are safe and financially viable. The process of fusion does not leave waste that is radioactive for millennia, unlike nuclear fission, which powers today's nuclear reactors. Tritium, which will be used as a fuel in future plants including ITER, has a half-life of 12.3 years, and its radiation, alongside the high-energy particles released during fusion, can leave components radioactive for decades.

Abstract: Nuclear power plants require cooling water. When numerous nuclear plants were built in the 1970s, they were thus placed at major rivers. This caused cross-border problems, since in Europe, many rivers crossed or constituted borders. As awareness for thermal and radioactive pollution grew, border areas became hotbeds of European anti-nuclear protest. Advocates of European integration suggested that the European Communities (EC) were best positioned to resolve this issue. This article analyses the EC rulemaking attempts regarding the siting of nuclear power plants and explains why they failed. It argues that while the cross-border nature of the problem of nuclear installations at borders justified EC-level legal solutions, the geography of nuclear plants militated against supranational solutions – at a time of national vetoes and when energy security was considered a national sovereignty concern. The article is based on the analysis of primary sources from European Union and national archives. By taking the physical and political geography of nuclear energy into account, this article offers new perspectives on the role of borders and border studies, on the history of nuclear energy and society, and on the history of European integration.

Abstract: This article analyses the historical geography of nuclear energy through the spatial lens of river basins. Approximately half of the world's nuclear power plants were built along one or the other river. There, they gave rise to both conflict and cooperation. Drawing on the theoretical notion of water interaction, which takes into account relations of both conflictual and cooperative nature, we distinguish between such relations in three dimensions: space, environment, and infrastructure. The spatial dimension gravitates around social and political processes where proximity and distance are at the heart, often linked to the search for suitable sites for nuclear construction. The environmental dimension refers to conflict and cooperation around the radioactive and thermal pollution of waterways. The infrastructural dimension, finally, highlights how nuclear power plant builders, when they arrived from the 1950s onwards, had to relate to pre-existing infrastructural features of the rivers, which sometimes led to clashes with other actors and sometimes to more cooperative forms of interaction. In empirical terms, we focus on three European river basins that came to play particularly important roles in European nuclear history: those of the Rhine, Danube, and Elbe.

Abstract:  Through the example of two nuclear power plants (Superphénix and Saint-Alban) in France along the Rhône River, in the Isère département, I show that the areas involved and potentially "affected" by nuclear power at the local level do not overlap historically and that they are the result of a scientific, political, and administrative construction based on nuclear risk. I suggest that the various zones established around nuclear power plants (potentially affected by an accident, involved in public inquiries, included in various committees in charge of information and control, allowed to collect taxes) tend to grow under the influence of anti-nuclear protest, of local populations, and also of elected officials who are exposed to the effective or potential effects of nuclear power plants. Despite the difficulty of framing the nuclear risk spatially, it delimits a growing nuclear territory surrounding each nuclear power plant, from several municipalities at the beginning of the 1970s to an entire region at the beginning of the 1990s. The numerous maps available in French local archives thus shed historical light on the construction of nuclear territories.

Abstract: The spreading of uncontrollable renewables impairs the controllability of the grid.Flexible nuclear power plants could contribute by providing balancing services.This requires effective technologies for maneuvering.A comprehensive review of different NPP flexibility solutions is given.Western European PWR and Russian VVER technologies are compared. The aim of the present paper is to give an overview on the available solutions that could be used to increase the flexible operation capabilities of pressurized water reactor based nuclear power plants. In particular, it provides a sufficient collection of the latest research findings related to the flexible operation capabilities of the VVER-1200 power plant and how the same issues are addressed in western European PWRs. The topics under investigation are rather practical, control theory and thermal stresses are not discussed. The main motivation of this review study is to have a better understanding of the commonalities and differences of the existing and developing features of the flexible power plants present in Europe and how to apply these for the VVER reactor designs to be compliant with the Hungarian requirements. Based on these investigations presented here new control models and technical solutions can be proposed for VVER reactors, which can be implemented later in the next stage of the joint research project of the Institute of Nuclear Techniques of BME and Framatome.

Abstract: The sustainability of nuclear energy amidst climate change and environmental regulations poses critical challenges, particularly in European contexts where major rivers like the Rhine, the Danube, and the Rhône are experiencing declining water levels and rising temperatures. We scrutinise the operational difficulties nuclear power plants encounter, arising from insufficient cooling water and environmental mandates that prevent the discharge of overly warm cooling water into rivers. These conditions have led to partial or full shutdowns of nuclear facilities across France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Romania, and other countries, emphasising the tension between nuclear energy as a low-carbon solution and its environmental impacts. We explore the concept of sustainability in the context of riverine nuclear energy from three angles: technical challenges posed by water scarcity, regulatory constraints on cooling water temperatures, and the ecological impacts of thermal discharges on riverine ecosystems. In our analysis we reveal an emerging contradiction between ensuring electricity supply and adhering to environmental protections, highlighting the need for a reevaluation of nuclear e

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